Here’s a lesson that I only learned recently in life.
Find joy in where you’re at RIGHT NOW.
For far too long I put off happiness while in pursuit of my goals.
When I was in Law School, I completely put my life on hold.
I remember telling myself, “just put your head down and accept being miserable for three years. You can be happy after.”
So that’s what I did.
I focused all of my attention on my studies. In all fairness, Law School is extremely hard work and given my course load, a lot of my attitude was warranted. But I was constantly thinking about the future.
I NEEDED to graduate and pass the bar in order to start my life and be happy.
I actually performed well in Law School. Graduated with a 3.5 GPA. Passed the Maryland Bar on my first try. Despite this success, nothing changed.
I was still obsessed with the future.
I remember thinking…
How could I start my life when I don’t have the PERFECT job?
I couldn’t be “happy” until I was making at least six figures, right?
I never gave much thought to what I ACTUALLY WANTED TO DO – especially outside of the law.
So now officially in the working world, I put my head down and started to grind. I started with my father’s law firm, then at a judicial clerkship, then an investment bank, then another law firm, until finally two years later I circled back with my father’s firm.
Why did I jump around so much? Because I started to follow my gut.
I wasn’t happy in any of the jobs I had. I didn’t enjoy the work, the subject matter, none of it. Something just wasn’t right.
During my time practicing law, practicality ruled my life.
Leaving the law wasn’t an option. You can’t just casually walk away from a legal career after taking the LSATs, being admitted into Law School, spending three years studying, graduating, and then passing the bar – right?
It wasn’t until I started working at my father’s firm for the second time that I started to think about what I ACTUALLY wanted to do.
I’d always had a passion for film and entertainment.
I’d always wanted to be an actor.
I’d always wanted to write creatively.
But these passions had been suffocated by PRACTICALITY.
At this point, I had also just gone through a breakup.
Although difficult at the time, it helped me put things into perspective. It opened up my eyes and forced me to focus on myself. And that’s when I finally said fuck practicality…
I moved to Nashville and dramatically changed careers!!
Did anything change? Did I break my habit of putting happiness on hold until I reach some hypothetical goal?
NOPE!
When I first moved to Nashville, I set goals and put my happiness on hold until I achieved them.
I immediately signed up for acting and improv classed. I got headshots. I started auditioning.
After I gain success, I thought, only THEN will I allow myself to be happy.
And that’s how I lived my first six months in Nashville.
I was considerably in a better mental state, having made the career change. BUT something was still off.
It wasn’t until recently that I realized my mindset wasn’t conducive to the life I wanted.
I no longer wanted to put off happiness.
So I changed.
I didn’t stop setting goals. I didn’t work any less. But I did switch my mindset.
I started enjoying the little things. I started finding joy in my journey. I started finding joy in my study of acting, in my writing, in my side jobs, in my social life, in everything.
This tiny switch dramatically improved my well-being.
I now no longer feel as if my life is on hold. I’m more motivated to pursue my goals. I’m more focused than I’ve ever been. I am happier than I’ve ever been. Why?
Because even though I have BIG HAIRY AUDACIOUS goals, I understand that my happiness is not determined by whether or not I achieve them. Instead, my happiness is derived from whether or not I try.
Do yourself a favor and find joy in where you’re at RIGHT NOW – this second.
If you do that, I promise you, you’ll be infinitely happier because of it.
Listen, I’ve got two words for ya. MARKET RESEARCH!
Yes. You read that correctly. In almost every field of work, market research absolutely blows. It’s a fact of life.
UNLESS you’re an Actor.
“Why? What’s the difference?” You may ask.
Well it’s quite simple.
For an actor, market research means watching loads and loads of movies and TV shows. It’s basically a free pass to spend 12 hours on a Sunday watching Netflix. You can literally call a day filled with two large pizzas, three bags of chips, six diet cokes, and the entire first season of Ozark a “productive” day.
Watching movies and TV shows is considered “working.” This is one of the MANY amazing things about acting. Obviously, no one is paying you to do this “work.” BUT you can learn so much and improve your craft by watching movies and television.
You’ll discover a plethora of information if you study your favorite actors. You’ll discover what sorts of characters they typically play. You’ll get a sense of their range. You’ll start to notice their ticks. You’ll notice their blocking. You’ll notice everything. And it’s all beneficial.
Point being, you can learn A TON by studying the actors you admire.
The same holds true if you’re a writer.
I recently jumped into the world of screenwriting and now try to either watch the movies or read the screenplays of my favorite writers.
Currently my all-time favorite writer is Aaron Sorkin. The way he drafts dialogue is out of this world. I find myself spending many a night binge watching West Wing or re-reading his famous play, A Few Good Men. Any time I write, I tell myself to “channel my inner Sorkin.” I’m not kidding. 😂
Now that I’m re-reading this blog post, I’m starting to think this may just be one giant justification for my tendency to binge watch so much Netflix. But who cares, right? It’s all done in the name of MARKET RESEARCH!!
This is a difficult question to answer. Most artists dread the question.
Do I respond by revealing my creative pursuits? “I’m an Actor!!!”
OR do I respond by revealing my ACTUAL work? You know, the stuff I do that actually pays me.
I struggled with this question when I first stopped practicing law and embarked on my creative endeavors. I’d ask myself, “how can I say I’m an actor when I haven’t been in anything??”
If I told people I was an Actor, they’d surely respond, “No way! So cool! Have I seen you in anything?” After which I’d clear my throat, laugh, and respond, “doubt it.” Then proceed to change the subject with a classic, “how about all those scooters downtown, crazy right?” Not the most invigorating conversation, I know.
But over the past six months I’ve come to a few realizations…
THE FIRST – never let other people’s opinions affect your decision making. This comes straight from Gary Vaynerchuck, the legend himself. Don’t say or not say something because you’re worried about what that person will think of you. Behaving that way is just silly. What other people think of you is none of your damn business. You do you.
THE SECOND – you don’t have to be profiting off your art in order to identify as an artist. For most artists, money isn’t the primary motive. And if it is, I doubt they’ll last long. Most artists are pursuing their art because they love it. And shouldn’t people identify with what they love? That’s rhetorical – of course they should.
THE THIRD – the more people who know what you do, the better off you’ll be. This is an old networking trick. Connections are EVERYTHING in this business. I truly believe that. So why would you ever not tell somebody you’re an actor, or a writer, or an artist? You have no idea what connections that person has. They may refer you to a filmmaker who is need of an actor for an upcoming short film. Or they may have a friend who is in need of an additional writer for a sketch comedy group. You never know what could happen.
You are doing yourself a disservice if you withhold information about your creative pursuits when you meet new contacts. Tell the world what you do. Don’t be timid. The more who know – the BETTER!
To sum all of the above up, it doesn’t fucking matter what people think. JUST BE HONEST!! Tell the truth.
If you’re still sitting there thinking, “can I really call myself an actor if I don’t actually make a living acting?” Slap yourself. Good. Then slap yourself again. OF COURSE, YOU CAN. Ever heard of a self-fulfilling prophecy? Speak that shit into existence.
I currently make my living as a tour guide and retail sales associate but here’s how I respond to the infamous question, “So what do you do.”
“I’m an Actor and Writer pursing the dream here in Nashville, TN.”
I recently finished directing my first Short Film! Thank you, thank you (pause for applause).
Instead of adding “Film Director” to my Instagram bio, I decided to draft up this article and highlight some of the most important lessons I learned during this experience.
Also, let’s not kid ourselves, I’m DEFINITELY going to add “Film Director” to my IG bio. Maybe I already have?? I guess you’ll just have to look me up @BrendanBald and give me a follow to find out for yourself 😉.
Before I dive into the meat and potatoes of this post, let me tell y’all a tiny bit about this project so that you have some context. This will be short (kinda), I promise.
The film I directed was a part of the 2019 4thWall Acting Studio Film Challenge. I know what you’re thinking, “is that like Sundance or something?” The answer is YES EXACTLY – well sort of. For the past year I’ve been studying at an acting studio in Nashville called the 4thWall Acting Studio. Every summer, this studio puts on a film challenge solely for the members of the studio.
It began with screenplay submissions. All studio members had the opportunity to submit a screenplay for consideration. A neutral third party then selected the 10 best screenplays. I submitted two screenplays – neither got selected (sheds single tear).
Next was director submissions. All studio members interested in directing a film were required to submit a rather intensive application. The studio then picked 10 directors and matched them up with one of the 10 chosen scripts. I was lucky enough to have been selected to direct one of ten films in the Challenge.
One additional note worth mentioning is that casting for each film was done within the studio – meaning only studio members could audition for parts. Also, in order to avoid bias, the Studio arranged for a third-party casting agency to cast each film.
Once each role was cast, it was then up to the director to bring the film to life. The Challenge allowed each film about 6 weeks for pre-production, production, and post-production. We literally had to make a movie in 6 weeks. It was a serious time crunch. We also had a maximum budget of $500. Now I don’t know if any of you have ever made a film before but $500 is NOTHING when it comes to making a movie. I sure had my work cut out for me. Have I mentioned that I’d never done this before??
Anyways, the road to premiere night was bumpy but I learned SO MUCH along the way.
Here are 6 things I learned directing my first short film!
1. Forming a Production Team is Vital!
Have you ever heard the saying “it takes a village?” Nowhere is that phrase more applicable than in filmmaking. Filmmaking cannot be done alone. YOU NEED A TEAM.
As soon as I was selected to direct, I began recruiting producers. I was SO lucky to find two extremely talented and creative individuals within my class that were willing to help me. These two individuals were INSTRUMENTAL in bringing this film to life.
Not only did my production team help with logistics (scouting locations, makeup, hair, wardrobe, props, shooting dates, etc…) but they were also an amazing source for ideas and creative feedback. I had done a tremendous amount of research and preparation for directing this project, but I was still a novice filmmaker. I relied heavily on my producers in pre-production and the film wouldn’t have been NEARLY as good without them.
If you have an ego, you better check it at the door before directing a film. If you don’t, you’ll almost certainly FAIL. On top of failing, everyone will probably hate you too – just sayin.
2. Trust Your Team!
This point ties into the first. As a director of a small project, you are essentially the manager of the film. I am by no means an amazing manager. But what I do know about managing is that nobody, and I repeat, NOBODY likes to be micro-managed. It’s always been my understanding that members of a team perform better when they know that their managers have complete faith in them. I attempted to implement this approach when I took on this project but feel as if I could have done a better job.
I prefer having control. That’s just my personality. The old saying, “If you want something done right, do it yourself” is ever present in my mind and I’ve been working on shaking it over the past couple years. So, when I first started the project, my first inclination was to do everything by myself. But, once I started digging into the logistics behind the film, I quickly realized that doing it all by myself was IMPOSSIBLE.
Luckily, I brought on two producers who were more than capable of not only getting shit done, but getting shit done RIGHT. They each took complete ownership over numerous tasks during pre-production and production. This helped tremendously and freed up my mind to think creatively.
In hindsight, I definitely could have done a better job communicating my needs and delegating tasks to my team. If you’re able to delegate essential pre-production tasks to your producers, you will make your life A LOT easier – trust me.
3. Thoroughly Scout All Locations!
As they say in the real estate world, LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION!!
It’s imperative to thoroughly scout every single filming location. I learned this the hard way.
We filmed at six locations over the course of two days. The majority of the filming took place at one location. Thankfully I was wise enough to thoroughly scout this location with one of my producers. We were able to talk through lighting, camera set up, and blocking for each scene. This saved SO MUCH time on set. However, for a couple of locations, I relied on pictures and decided to “wing it” on the day of shooting – bad move. Here’s an example…
One of our scenes took place in a hotel room. It was my plan to rent a room at an old motel, not tell them we are filming, sneak in our actors and gear, get the footage, and sneak out.
Guess what? It didn’t work.
I showed up to the motel for the first time on the day of shooting. My team rolled into the EMPTY parking lot with eight cars. I got out of my car and strolled into the lobby like a tired traveler seeking some shut eye. I was suave enough to get checked in without a hiccup. My confidence must have been a little too high because once I received my key, I gave my team the thumbs up to start heading into the room.
The move from our cars to the motel room was literally the most un-stealthy move of all time. We had a guy with a sound pack and giant boom mic walking across the parking lot. A guy with two huge camera cases following behind. I’m strolling behind him with a clipboard and a light stand. Both my producers and our lead actress are behind me. Another PA with a few bags is behind them. Literally the most obvious scheme of all time. I am cracking up just writing this 😂.
Anyways, as soon as we got into the room the phone rings. It’s the front desk. They saw our equipment, knew we were filming, and proceeded to kick us out of the hotel!! I tried to get all lawyerly with them to try and salvage the location but FAILED miserably. Really putting that law degree to work 🤷🏻♂️.
Thank goodness our lead actress was able to call in a bunch of favors and get us access to a different hotel last minute. It just goes to show that “winging it” is usually not the best option!! Except it kinda worked out for us in this example. Hmm I might have to rethink this point. I’ll get back to you!
4. Lock Down Equipment Logistics ASAP!
When you’re working with a tight budget, equipment logistics can be a headache. I knew this going in and tried to lock down all of our equipment ASAP. Locating video equipment and lights weren’t a problem for us. Our Director of Photography had his own camera equipment and we all owned plenty of lights.
Finding a good sound mixer was difficult. I posted the gig on several different forums and received numerous hits. I then spent hours interviewing sound mixers and vetting their equipment and experience. I ultimately locked down a talented young mixer who agreed to work at a reasonable price. I’m so glad I locked our sound mixer down early in pre-production because procrastinating on this would have caused everyone a ton of stress.
5. Ball Out on Food!
Food is SOOOOOOOO important on set. If your cast and crew aren’t fed, they aren’t happy. If they aren’t happy, they aren’t working hard. If they aren’t working hard, your film’s gonna suck. It’s science.
A significant part of our budget went to feeding the cast and crew. We made sure that our crafty table was full of tasty snacks and delicious beverages during our shoots.
The importance of food is especially true if your team is working for free. Which, in our case, they were.
No actor ever gave an amazing performance hungry. Well – except maybe Tom Hanks in Cast Away. The guy must have been STARVING when he was skinny in all of those island scenes. Sheesh – the things we do for ART!
Anyways, food is a major KEY – along with water. Hydrate to dominate!!
6. Draft a Detailed Shot List!
Last but not least is the mighty shot list!
Having a detailed shot list for every scene is critical to time efficiency on set. I made it a priority to draft a detailed shot list and send it out to my team well before our shoot dates. This saved us countless hours on set. I was able to work smoothly with our DP and transition between setups in a timely manner.
We primarily stuck to our shot list for the majority of our scenes and only came off it for a few creative shots. BUT we wouldn’t have had the time to explore those creative shots had we not efficiently captured the shots we needed first.
Failing to prepare is preparing to fail. Sorry guys, just had to say it 😁.
That’s All Folks!
Filmmaking is no easy task!
But don’t let the hard work scare you away. Directing this film was an absolute BLAST. I cannot wait to work on my next project.
I cannot thank the 4thWall Acting Studio enough for giving me this opportunity. It truly lit a creative spark in my soul and for that I will always be thankful.
If you’re interested in viewing the film, I’ll go ahead and post it below. Thanks!
Okay, here’s my new thing. In an attempt to write more consistently, I’m giving myself 30 minutes per day to write a blog post – content, proofreading, literally everything in 30 minutes flat. It’s basically like a bowflex workout.
I wanna chat about content.
I fully believe that social media is an invaluable tool for people trying to build their personal brands. Y’all know that. I think I basically say it in every post. Oops.
Anyways, if I’m being completely honest with you all, I struggle with social media content.
There are several things I want to accomplish with my social media pages. The first is that I want to support my acting goals. The second is I want to have fun and extrovert my talents online. Those two things have often clashed in my mind. Here’s what I mean – I want my social feeds to express an aura of professionalism and seriousness about the acting/entertainment business. BUT at the same time, I’m such a goofball and love posting little skit comedy videos and light hearted content.
It’s been difficult to bridge the gap. I’m starting to think the ultimate answer is to simply post whatever the hell I want. If I’m feeling goofy, I’ll post a funny video. If I’m feeling professional, I’ll post a more professional photo with a truly thoughtful caption. I don’t think there is a science to this. Did I just answer my own question?? CLASSIC ME.
I also REALLY try not to cater my content towards likes and comments. My goal is not to get as many likes and followers as possible. The goal is to extrovert my talents and interests’ long term with the hopes that it will benefit me down the road.
Producing content is also just fun for me. Making videos, taking pictures, and writing articles are creative endeavors that I thoroughly enjoy. So that’s another reason why I do it.
This all goes back to one main point that my brother and I ALWAYS emphasis…
MAKE ROUGH DRAFT MOVES!
My ultimate goal at this point in my life is to act professionally. AKA make a living as an actor. The one thing that SUCKS about an acting career is that you have no control whatsoever. You can take a million acting classes, get a million headshots, and work on a million projects for free but whether or not you garner success is out of your hands – for the most part that is. It’s one of those careers where anything can happen at any second. It could happen a year from now or twenty years from now, no one knows.
The good thing about social media is that it gives people who have no control over their careers, complete control over their brands. You can really become your own PR agent on social.
Anyways, I just wanted to open up a bit and talk about the struggles I have with social media. The key, I think, is to not overthink. Any action is better than inaction. DAMN! I absolutely love that line. I’m gonna say it again for the people in the back. ANY ACTION IS BETTER THAN INACTION!!!
Make rough draft moves people!! Cheers to making a whole bunch of random content and having a blast doing it!!
Brendan Bald 